Yan (1890—1990) devoted his whole life to civilian education in China and the world, and was praised as the "father of civilian education" at home and abroad, enjoying a high international reputation. 19 countries and regions established memorial halls for him. However, domestic academic circles have long treated and evaluated his career unfairly and regarded him as a reformist who served the old system and society. After the reform and opening up, under the influence of the thought of "emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts", there has also been a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contend" in academic circles; At the same time, the issue of "agriculture, countryside and farmers" has increasingly become the bottleneck of China's modernization, and the problem of how to transform farmers and rural areas has become increasingly prominent. Under this academic environment and realistic demands, scholars began to look for precedents, judge gains and losses, and sum up experiences and lessons, in order to provide beneficial enlightenment for the realistic rural reform. In the first half of the 20th century, the importance and significance of intellectuals concerned about rural areas and farmers in China stood out. Yan's thought and practice of civilian education have also been discussed objectively and fairly, and a number of high-level books and papers have appeared.